Fuel cell module and fuel cell apparatus

ABSTRACT

In accordance with a fuel cell module, a cell stack is housed in a housing including a box and a lid, and the lid is provided with a first gas flow channel through which either one of oxygen containing gas and exhaust gas flows. Therefore, the configuration of the housing can be simplified. Since the lid is provided with the gas flow channel, an accommodation space inside the box can be enlarged, the cell stack can be easily housed inside the housing through an opening, and the fuel cell module can be easily assembled.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage entry according to 35 U.S.C. 371 ofPCT Application No. PCT/JP2017/021999 filed on Jun. 14, 2017, whichclaims priority to Japanese Application Nos. 2016-122167 filed on Jun.20, 2016 and 2016-130973 filed on Jun. 30, 2016, which are entirelyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a fuel cell module and a fuel cellapparatus.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, as next-generation energy, a fuel cell module in whicha cell stack apparatus provided with fuel cells capable of obtainingpower by using fuel gas (hydrogen containing gas) and air (oxygencontaining gas) is housed in an accommodation apparatus and a fuel cellapparatus in which a fuel cell module is housed in an exterior case havebeen proposed in various types.

The fuel cell module has a structure in which the cell stack apparatusis housed in a housing, and a flow channel for supplying oxygencontaining gas to the cell stack apparatus and a flow channel fordischarging exhaust gas to the outside are all formed within the housingin advance (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A2012-28099 (Patent Literature 1)).

SUMMARY

A fuel cell module according to one non-limiting aspect of the presentdisclosure includes a housing and a cell stack. The housing includes abox one side of which is open and a lid closing the opening. The cellstack is housed in an accommodation chamber disposed inside the housing.In the cell stack, a plurality of fuel cells generating power by fuelgas and oxygen containing gas are disposed and electrically connectedtogether. The lid is provided with a first gas flow channel throughwhich either one of the oxygen containing gas and exhaust gas which isdischarged from the accommodation chamber flows.

Moreover, a fuel cell apparatus according to one non-limiting aspect ofthe present disclosure includes the fuel cell module mentioned above, anauxiliary machine which operates the fuel cell module, and an externalcase which houses the fuel cell module and the auxiliary machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of the present non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the example of the fuelcell module of the present non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an upper part enlarged cross-sectional view showing an exampleof a fuel cell module of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an example in which part of a fuel cellmodule of still another non-limiting embodiment is excerpted;

FIG. 12 is a side view showing another example in which part of a fuelcell module of still another non-limiting embodiment is excerpted;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing still another example inwhich part of a fuel cell module of still another non-limitingembodiment is excerpted;

FIG. 13B is a side view showing still another example in which part of afuel cell module of still another non-limiting embodiment is excerpted;

FIG. 13C is a side view, from a different viewpoint from FIG. 13B,showing still another example in which part of a fuel cell module ofstill another non-limiting embodiment is excerpted; and

FIG. 14 is a transparent perspective view showing an example of a fuelcell apparatus of the present non-limiting embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A fuel cell module of the present non-limiting embodiment includes ahousing having an accommodation chamber therein, and a cell stack housedin the accommodation chamber, the cell stack including a plurality offuel cells each of which generate power by fuel gas and oxygencontaining gas, the plurality of fuel cells being electrically connectedtogether.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1 showing anexample of the present non-limiting embodiment, and FIG. 2 is anexploded perspective view of the fuel cell module 1.

In a cell stack apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, hollow and tabulartype columnar fuel cells 3 having a gas flow channel inside which fuelgas flows from one end to the other end are aligned in a upright state,and the fuel cells 3 adjoining in the alignment direction areelectrically connected in series through a conductive material. At thelower ends of the fuel cells 3, a row of cell stack 4 fixed to amanifold 9 by an insulating adhesive agent is disposed. The fuel cells 3are only necessarily columnar and are applicable, for example, to acylindrical type and a horizontal-striped type.

Above the cell stack 4, a reformer 18 for generating fuel gas suppliedto the fuel cells 3 is disposed to form the cell stack apparatus 10,which is housed in a housing 2.

The reformer 18 generates fuel gas by reforming raw fuel such as naturalgas or kerosene supplied through a raw fuel supply pipe. The reformer 18may have a structure capable of performing steam reforming which is areforming reaction with excellent reforming efficiency. The reformer 18includes a vaporization portion 18 a for vaporizing water and areforming portion 18 b in which a reforming catalyst for reforming theraw fuel into fuel gas is disposed.

The housing 2 includes a box 21 one side of which is open and a lid 22closing an opening 21 a of the box 21. In the present non-limitingembodiment, the box 21 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped,and of the six surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped, one of a pairof surfaces with the largest area is open. The other surface 21 bopposed to the opening 21 a is a bottom surface 21 b of the box 21, andthe other four surfaces are side surfaces of the box 21.

In the fuel cell module 1, at the time of its operation, as shown inFIG. 2, the manifold 9 is located below the cell stack 4, and thereformer 18 is located above the cell stack 4. When viewed from thealignment direction side of the fuel cells 3 of the cell stack 4, theopening 21 a and the bottom surface 21 b of the box 21 are located inthe right-left direction, that is, at the sides, respectively. Moreover,since the lid 22 closes the opening 21 a, at the time of operation, thelid 22 and the bottom surface 21 b are located at the sides,respectively.

In the fuel cell module 1 of the present non-limiting embodiment, acombustion portion 20 is provided between the reformer 18 and the cellstack 4 (the fuel cells 3). By combusting, at the combustion portion 20,the fuel gas not used for the power generation at the fuel cells 3, thetemperature of the reformer 18 and the temperature in the housing 2 canbe efficiently increased.

The flows of oxygen containing gas and exhaust gas in the fuel cellmodule 1 will be described together with the structures of the flowchannels thereof. In the present non-limiting embodiment, the oxygencontaining gas is air existing outside the fuel cell module 1. A tubularintroducing portion 23 for supplying this air from outside into the fuelcell module is provided on the outer surface of the lid 22.

The lid 22 is provided with a first gas flow channel 24 through whicheither one of the oxygen containing gas and the exhaust gas which isdischarged from an accommodation chamber 11 flows. Moreover, in thepresent non-limiting embodiment, there is further provided a second gasflow channel 25 which is disposed adjacent to the first gas flow channel24 and through which the other of the oxygen containing gas and theexhaust gas flows. By disposing a second heat insulating material 41described later with a gap from the first gas flow channel 24, the gapcan be made a fifth gas flow channel through which the other of theoxygen containing gas and the exhaust gas flows instead of the secondgas flow channel 25. In the present non-limiting embodiment, the gasflow channel provided on the outer side is the first gas flow channel24, and in the first gas flow channel 24, air as the oxygen containinggas flows. Moreover, the gas flow channel provided on the inner side,that is, on the box 21 side, is the second gas flow channel 25, and inthe second gas flow channel 25, the exhaust gas flows. While an examplein which the first gas flow channel 24 is provided on the outer side(outer surface side) of the lid 22 and the second gas flow channel 25 isprovided on the inner side (the box 21 side) is shown in the figures,there may be adopted a structure in which the first gas flow channel andthe second gas flow channel are provided on the outer side (outersurface side) of the lid 22 or on the inner side (the box 21 side) ofthe lid 22.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, the lid 22 includes a tabularlid body 22 a for closing the opening 21 a of the box 21, a first flowchannel member 24 a which is disposed on the outer surface side of thelid body 22 a facing outward and defines the first gas flow channel 24,and a second flow channel member 25 a which is disposed on the innersurface side facing the box 21 and defines the second gas flow channel25. The first flow channel member 24 a and the second flow channelmember 25 a are both substantially rectangular plate-like members, andat the four sides, parts erected by the amount of the flow channel widthare disposed on a first surface (one principal surface) 24 aa side ofthe first flow channel member 24 a and on a first surface (one principalsurface) 25 aa side of the second flow channel member 25 a. By joiningthe erected four side portions to the inner surface or the outer surfaceof the lid body 22 a, the gap between the lid body 22 a and the firstflow channel member 24 a becomes the first gas flow channel 24, and thegap between the lid body 22 a and the second flow channel member 25 abecomes the second gas flow channel 25. That is, in the presentnon-limiting embodiment, the lid body 22 a is the flow channelpartitioning portion which partitions the first gas flow channel 24 andthe second gas flow channel 25.

In the fuel cell module 1 of the present non-limiting embodiment, byjoining the first flow channel member 24 a and the second flow channelmember 25 a so as to be placed one on another with a gap in between onthe tabular lid body 22 a, the flow channel for the air and the flowchannel for the exhaust gas can be easily formed. Moreover, by theprovision of the gas flow channels on the lid 22, the gas flow channelprovided on the box 21 can be reduced, so that the structure of the box21 can be made a simple structure.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, the introducing portion 23 forintroducing air communicates with the first gas flow channel 24. Theintroducing portion 23 is provided, for example, at a lower end of thelid 22, and the air introduced from the introducing portion 23 flowsupward from below in the first gas flow channel 24. The first gas flowchannel 24 may be a meandering flow channel. In order to introduce airinto the housing 2, that is, to the inner side of the lid 22 at an upperend of the first gas flow channel 24, an inlet 22 b such as a hole or aslit passing through in the thickness direction (right-left direction)is provided at an upper end of the lid body 22 a. In the presentnon-limiting embodiment, as the inlet 22 b, a plurality of through holesdisposed in parallel in the alignment direction of the fuel cells 3 ofthe cell stack 4 are provided. By providing the structure having aplurality of through holes, reduction in mechanical strength issuppressed, so that a sufficient amount of air can be admitted to theinner side of the lid 22.

The air having flowed into the housing 2 from the inlet 22 b flows,above the reformer 18, toward the bottom surface of the box 21 beyondthe reformer 18 and the cell stack 4 through a third gas flow channel 26formed inside the box 21. The third gas flow channel 26 is defined by athird flow channel member 26 a including a plate-like member parallelto, of the inner side surfaces of the box 21, the inner side surfacefacing the reformer 18, that is, the inner side surface located at anupper part at the time of operation.

The third gas flow channel 26 is connected to an oxygen containing gasintroducing plate 27 in a position on the downstream side in the flowdirection and between the reformer 18 and the cell stack 4, and thebottom surface 21 b. The oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27includes, for example, two plate-like members joined together at theperipheries thereof with a gap in between, and only the partcommunicating with the third gas flow channel 26 and an oxygencontaining gas introducing port 27 a for supplying air as the oxygencontaining gas to the cell stack 4 are opened and the remainder isclosed.

The third gas flow channel 26 is provided on the upper side which is oneend side in the length direction of the fuel cells 3, and theintroducing portion 23 and the oxygen containing gas introducing port 27a are provided on the lower side which is the other end side in thelength direction of the fuel cells 3.

The oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 is connected to the thirdgas flow channel 26 in a communicating hole 26 b provided in the thirdflow channel member 26 a, and the air flowing in the third gas flowchannel 26 passes through the communicating hole 26 b and flows into theoxygen containing gas introducing plate 27.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, the third gas flow channel 26has a main flow channel portion 26 c connecting from the first gas flowchannel 24 to the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 and anextended portion 26 d extending toward the bottom surface 21 b of thebox 21 beyond the position where the oxygen containing gas introducingplate 27 and the main flow channel portion 26 c are connected. There maybe adopted a structure in which the third gas flow channel 26 is formedonly of the main flow channel portion 26 c without the provision of theextended portion 26 d.

The air having flowed into the oxygen containing gas introducing plate27 flows downward along the bottom surface 21 b of the box 21, isdischarged from the oxygen containing gas introducing port 27 a providedat the downstream end in the flow direction, and is supplied to regionsbetween the fuel cells 3 of the cell stack 4. The lower end of theoxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 is extended up to themanifold 9, and the air discharged from the oxygen containing gasintroducing port 27 a is supplied to the neighborhood of the lower end,fixed to the manifold 9, of the cell stack 4. By the extension of thelower end of the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 up to themanifold 9, even if the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 isdeformed by heat, it abuts on the manifold 9, so that furtherdeformation can be suppressed. Further, the lower end of the oxygencontaining gas introducing plate 27 may be previously configured to abuton the edge portion of the manifold 9. Thereby, the deformation andmovement of the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 due to heator the like can be more suppressed, and the position of the manifold 9on which the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 abuts can bemore surely fixed. Therefore, in the fuel cell module 1 of the presentnon-limiting embodiment, even if transportation or the like isperformed, the cell stack apparatus 10 is firmly fixed, so that movementdue to vibration, swing or the like is prevented.

At the fuel cells 3, the air supplied to regions between the fuel cells3 is used for power generation reaction together with the fuel gassupplied from the reformer 18 through the manifold 9, and power isgenerated at each fuel cell 3.

The fuel gas and the air not used for the power generation reaction are,for example, ignited by an ignition apparatus such as an ignition heaterto be combusted at the combustion portion 20 between the cell stack 4and the reformer 18, so that high temperature exhaust gas is generated.The exhaust gas flows into the second gas flow channel 25 through acommunicating hole 25 b provided in an upper part of the second flowchannel member 25 a, and flows downward along the lid body 22 a. Asdescribed above, the air having flowed in from outside flows upward inthe first gas flow channel 24, the exhaust gas flows downward in thesecond gas flow channel 25 adjacent to the first gas flow channel 24,and during this time, heat exchange occurs between the comparatively lowtemperature air and the comparatively high temperature exhaust gas withthe lid body 22 a in between, so that the air is warmed and the exhaustgas is cooled.

At the lower side end which is the downstream end of the second gas flowchannel 25, the heat-exchanged exhaust gas is discharged to the outsideof the first gas flow channel 24 through an discharging portion 31crossing the first gas flow channel 24 orthogonally to the flowdirection of the first gas flow channel 24.

The exhaust gas discharged from the discharging portion 31 is suppliedto a heat exchanger. At the heat exchanger, heat exchange is performedwith externally supplied water, the heated hot water is used, forexample, for a water heater, and the condensed water caused byheat-exchanging the exhaust gas is reused for steam reforming at thereformer 18. In the present non-limiting embodiment, a fourth gas flowchannel 32 is provided further outside the first gas flow channel 24,and the exhaust gas discharged from the discharging portion 31 flowsinto the fourth gas flow channel 32 and flows upward along the fourthgas flow channel 32. In the fourth gas flow channel 32, for example, acombustion catalyst for combusting uncombusted gas not combusted at thecombustion portion 20 either may be disposed so that the uncombusted gasis not discharged to the outside from the fuel cell module 1. Like thefirst gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel 25, the fourthgas flow channel 32 is defined by a fourth flow channel member 32 a.

The exhaust gas having flowed upward along the fourth gas flow channel32 communicates with a tube 33 of connection with the heat exchanger atthe upper side end which is the downstream side end of the fourth gasflow channel 32, and is supplied to the heat exchanger through theconnection tube 33.

Moreover, in the housing 2, insulating materials for maintaining thetemperature in the fuel cell module 1 high are provided as appropriateso that the heat in the fuel cell module 1 is prevented from beingextremely dissipated to decrease the temperature of the fuel cells 3 andreduce the power generation amount.

A first insulating material 40 is disposed between the bottom surface 21b of the box 21 and the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 so asto cover the entire area of the bottom surface 21 b. A second insulatingmaterial 41 is disposed between the cell stack 4 and the second flowchannel member 25 a of the second gas flow channel 25. A thirdinsulating material 42 is disposed in a position which is the lower sideof the manifold 9 at the time of operation. As shown in FIG. 1, the cellstack 4 is surrounded at three sides by the first insulating material40, the second heat insulating material 41 and the third insulatingmaterial 42 disposed in positions which are the right and left sides andthe lower side at the time of operation and further, the combustionportion 20 is provided thereabove, so that reduction in the temperatureof the fuel cells 3 due to heat dissipation is suppressed.

Further, between the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 and thecell stack 4, two belt-like fourth insulating materials 43 a extendingin the alignment direction of the cell stack 4 are parallelly disposedwith a gap in the vertical direction. To the surface of the oxygencontaining gas introducing plate 27 facing the cell stack 4, aninsulating material fixing member 27 b for fixing the fourth insulatingmaterials 43 a is attached, and the height position of the fourthinsulating materials 43 a is determined by this insulating materialfixing member 27 b. Likewise, between the second heat insulatingmaterial 41 and the cell stack 4, two belt-like fourth insulatingmaterials 43 b are parallelly disposed with a gap in the verticaldirection. On the surface of the second heat insulating material 41facing the cell stack 4, groove-like concave portions 41 a are provided,and the fourth insulating materials 43 b are fitted in these groove-likeconcave portions 41 a, whereby the height position thereof isdetermined. Thereby, the fourth insulating materials 43 a and 43 b cansupport the cell stack apparatus 10 in an appropriate position in atransport state or in an operation state.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, the box 21 has an outer flangeportion 21 c extending outward at the opening 21 a. The outer flangeportion 21 c may extend outward from the entire four sides of therectangular opening 21 a, may extend outward from facing two sides indirections opposite to each other, or may extend outward from one sideor three sides.

The outer shape of the lid body 22 a is substantially the same as thatof the opening 21 a, is larger than that of the opening 21 a and thesame as the outer shape of the outer flange portion 21 c including theopening 21 a, or is smaller than the outer shape of the outer flangeportion 21 c. The box 21 and the lid 22 can be easily and firmly fixed,for example, by joining by a bolt or welding the outer flange portion 21c and the outer peripheral portion of the lid body 22 a.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1A of anothernon-limiting embodiment. While the above has a structure in which theair having flowed into the oxygen containing gas introducing plate 27 isdischarged from only the oxygen containing gas introducing port 27 aprovided at the lower end in the flow direction and is supplied toregions between the fuel cells 3 of the cell stack 4, the presentnon-limiting embodiment has a structure in which, for example, adiverting portion 34 which diverts the air flowing in the oxygencontaining gas introducing plate 27 is disposed in the middle of thefirst gas flow channel 24 and air is also supplied to regions betweenthe fuel cells 3 of the cell stack 4 from other than the oxygencontaining gas introducing port 27 a not through the oxygen containinggas introducing plate 27. Descriptions of the constituents other thanthe diverting portion 34 are omitted since they are similar to those ofthe non-limiting embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

The diverting portion 34 is disposed so as to pass through the secondgas flow channel 25 and the second heat insulating material 41 in theright-left direction. The height position where the diverting portion 34is disposed may be a position higher than the position ½ the height ofthe fuel cells 3. With this height position, air of a temperaturerelatively lower than that of the air discharged from the oxygencontaining gas introducing port 27 a is supplied to the upper side ofthe cell stack 4. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the temperature inregions from the upper parts to the middle parts of the fuel cells 3which regions are in a comparatively high temperature, so that at thefuel cells 3 and the cell stack 4, the temperature distribution can beuniformized in the vertical direction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1B of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. While in the fuel cell module 1,insulating materials are disposed inside the housing 2 as describedabove, in the present non-limiting embodiment, insulating materials arefurther disposed on the outer surface of the housing 2. By providinginsulating materials on the outer surface, heat dissipation from theouter surface of the housing 2 is suppressed. Descriptions of theconstituents other than the insulating materials provided on the outersurface are omitted since they are similar to those of the non-limitingembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

The insulating materials disposed on the outer surface of the housing 2include outer side insulating materials covering the outer side surfaceof the box 21 along the outer flange portion 21 c. The outer sideinsulating materials include a box outer side insulating material 44disposed along the outer flange portion 21 c of the box 21 and a lidouter side insulating material 45 disposed along the outer periphery ofthe lid 22. The outer flange portion 21 c of the box 21 is sandwiched bythe box outer side insulating material 44 and the lid outer sideinsulating material 45 from both sides, and no insulating material isdisposed at the end of the outer flange portion 21 c.

When the fuel cell module 1B is operating, the temperature isapproximately 500 to 800° C. inside the housing 2 and the housing 2 isalso heated to cause thermal expansion. Since the outer flange portion21 c thermally expands so as to further extend outward, for example, ifan insulating material is disposed at the end of the outer flangeportion 21 c, the insulating material is broken by the thermallyexpanded outer flange portion 21 c.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, since the box outer sideinsulating material 44 and the lid outer side insulating material 45 aredisposed so as to sandwich the outer flange portion 21 c from both sidesthereof, even if the thermal expansion of the outer flange portion 21 coccurs, breakage of the insulating material can be suppressed. If spacewhich allows the outer flange portion 21 c to thermally expand ispresent, the thicknesses of the box outer side insulating material 44and the lid outer side insulating material 45 may be larger than theheight direction of the outer flange portion 21 c.

In addition to the outer side insulating material disposed along theouter flange portion 21 c, the outer side insulating material mayfurther include a bottom surface outer side insulating material 46disposed so as to cover the bottom surface of the box 21.

Moreover, as a modified example of the present non-limiting embodiment,the fuel cell module 1B may further include a sub insulating materialbetween the outer side insulating materials and the box 21. The subinsulating material is made of a material more excellent in heatresistance than the outer side insulating materials, and by thus usingthe sub insulating material, a material with a comparatively lowheat-resistant temperature can be used for the outer side insulatingmaterials. The outer side insulating materials may be formed of, forexample, glass wool or rock wool, and the sub insulating material may beformed of, for example, ceramic fiber containing alumina/silica as amajor ingredient.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1C of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. While the above-described non-limitingembodiments have a structure in which the second gas flow channel 25 isprovided on the inner side of the lid body 22 a, that is, on the box 21side of the lid body 22 a and the first gas flow channel 24 is providedon the outer side, in the present non-limiting embodiment, the first gasflow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel 25 are both provided onthe inner side of the lid body 22 a, that is, on the box 21 side. In thepresent non-limiting embodiment, the first flow channel member 24 a isthe flow channel partitioning portion. Descriptions of the constituentsother than the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel25 are omitted since they are similar to those of the non-limitingembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

By thus structuring the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gasflow channel 25, the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flowchannel 25 are welded to the lid body 22 a from the same side, so thatworkability can be improved. Although similar effects are obtained evenif both the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel 25are provided on the outer side of the lid body 22 a, that is, on thefourth gas flow channel 32 side, when the first gas flow channel 24 andthe second gas flow channel 25 are provided on the inner side of the lidbody 22 a as in the present non-limiting embodiment, since the oxygencontaining gas flowing in the first gas flow channel 24 isheat-exchanged within the housing 2, heat dissipation to the outside ofthe housing 2 can be suppressed, so that the temperature of the airsupplied to the cell stack 4 can be increased more.

FIG. 6 is an upper part enlarged cross-sectional view of a fuel cellmodule 1D of still another non-limiting embodiment. The presentnon-limiting embodiment is different from the above-describednon-limiting embodiments in the structure of the third gas flow channel26, and in the following, the third gas flow channel 26 will bedescribed and descriptions of other portions are omitted. In thenon-limiting embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the inlet 22 b includes a firstthrough hole 22 c provided at the upper end of the lid body 22 adefining the first gas flow channel 24 and a second through hole 26 gprovided at a part of the third flow channel member 26 a facing thefirst through hole. Moreover, by the upper end of the lid body 22 a andthe third flow channel member 26 a abutting on each other, sealingperformance between the first gas flow channel 24 and the third gas flowchannel 26, that is, of the lid 22 and the box 21 is ensured. Of thethird gas flow channel 26, particularly at an end 26 e on the upstreamside of the main flow channel portion 26 c, that is, at an end on theside connected to the first gas flow channel 24, the flow channelcross-sectional area is larger than at the end on the downstream side.With this structure, since a large area can be secured as the area inwhich the lid body 22 a and the third flow channel member 26 a abut oneach other around the inlet 22 b, in the present non-limitingembodiment, in the vertical direction of the inlet 22 b, sealingperformance can be improved. Further, when the inlet 22 b is a pluralityof through holes, by using some through holes as insertion holes throughwhich rivets are inserted, the lid body 22 a and the first flow channelmember 24 a, the third flow channel member 26 a and the like can befixed with a high abutting force, so that sealing performance can befurther improved.

There may be provided an abutment portion 26 f in which an upper sidesurface 21 d and the third flow channel member 26 a, which are aplurality of third gas flow channel walls forming the main flow channelportion 26 c of the third gas flow channel 26, are each convex towardthe inside of the flow channel to abut on each other. With thisstructure, the stiffness of the gas flow channel increases, so thatdeformation of the third gas flow channel 26 can be suppressed.

Further, the abutment portion 26 f may be shifted from a surface passingthe central axis S of the reformer 18 and vertically extending towardthe third gas flow channel 26. With this structure, since the abutmentportion 26 f is shifted from the surface passing the central axis S,which is a position nearest to the reformer 18 with a high temperatureand is susceptive to the influence of the heat of the reformer, andvertically extending toward the third gas flow channel 26, the risk ofthermal deformation of the abutment portion 26 f is reduced, so thatdurability of the third gas flow channel 26 can be further improved.That is, the abutment portion 26 f can be inhibited from being thermallydeformed to reduce the flow channel width.

More than one abutment portion 26 f may be aligned in a directionorthogonal to the plane of the figure. Moreover, more than one abutmentportion 26 f may be aligned in a direction parallel to the plane of thefigure (right-left direction).

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1E of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. The present non-limiting embodiment isdifferent from the above-described non-limiting embodiments in thatinstead of the second flow channel member 25 a, a fifth gas flow channelthrough which exhaust gas flows is provided between the second heatinsulating material 41 and the lid body 22 a and further, the secondheat insulating material 41 includes a rectification portion which makesmeander the flow of the exhaust gas flowing in the fifth gas flowchannel. Other portions are denoted by the same reference numerals asthose of the above-described non-limiting embodiment and descriptionsthereof are omitted. For example, by providing a rectification portion41 b abutting on the lid body 22 a on the second heat insulatingmaterial 41, the space surrounded by the rectification portion 41 b, thelid body 22 a and the second heat insulating material 41 becomes thefifth gas flow channel. As shown in FIG. 7, the rectification portion 41b may be a convex part protruding from the second heat insulatingmaterial 41 to the lid body side.

In the above-described non-limiting embodiment, an assembly process forjoining the second flow channel member 25 a to the lid body 22 a isnecessary. On the contrary, in the present non-limiting embodiment, theprocess itself of disposing the second heat insulating material 41 isnot changed if the second heat insulating material 41 in which therectification portion 41 b is previously formed is prepared, the processof assembling the exhaust gas flow channel flowing downward from abovecan be deleted, so that the fuel cell module 1E can be easily assembledand manufactured.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1F of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. The present non-limiting embodiment isdifferent from the above-described non-limiting embodiments in theshapes of the first flow channel member 24 a and the second flow channelmember 25 a, and other portions are denoted by the same referencenumerals as those of the above-described non-limiting embodiment anddescriptions thereof are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first flow channel member 24 a as the flowchannel partitioning portion has a convex portion (first convex portion24 c) convex toward the inside of the first gas flow channel 24. Withthis structure, for example, as in the present non-limiting embodiment,the surface area of the flow channel partitioning portion whichpartitions the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel25 can be made large, so that heat exchange between the exhaust gas andthe oxygen containing gas by heat conduction can be more efficientlyperformed. The flow channel partitioning portion may be convex towardthe second flow channel member 25 a.

Further, the first convex portion 24 c may abut on the lid body 22 a.With this structure, the heat exchange between the exhaust gas and theoxygen containing gas can be more efficiently performed by the lid body22 a and the first flow channel member 24 a as the flow channelpartitioning portion coming into contact with each other.

Moreover, in the present non-limiting embodiment, the second flowchannel member 25 a has a convex portion (second convex portion 25 c)convex toward the inside of the second gas flow channel 25.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the first gas flow channel 24 and thesecond gas flow channel 25 may be meandering flow channels which meanderin the right-left direction on a surface of the lid body 22 a facing thebox 21 along the concave portions (the first convex portion 24 c, thesecond convex portion 25 c). Specifically, in the first flow channelmember 24 a, the first convex portion 24 c is formed so that the firstgas flow channel 24 is a meandering flow channel. In the second flowchannel member 25 a, the meandering second convex portion 25 c is formedso that the second gas flow channel 25 is a meandering flow channel. Thefirst convex portion 24 c is convex toward the lid body 22 a toward theinside of the first gas flow channel 24, and the second convex portion25 c is convex toward the first flow channel member 24 a toward theinside of the second gas flow channel 25. Moreover, the first convexportion 24 c and the second convex portion 25 c are not formed in thesame position but formed in positions shifted from each other in thevertical direction. Specifically, the first convex portion 24 c abuts onthe lid body 22 a, and the second convex portion 25 c abuts on a flatpart in which the first convex portion 24 c of the first flow channelmember 24 a is not formed. In other words, flow channels of parts facingeach other of the first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flowchannel 25 are shifted in the vertical direction.

The first gas flow channel 24 and the second gas flow channel 25 caneach be divided into an upper side flow channel and a lower side flowchannel. The following relationship is satisfied: Sd>Su, where Sudenotes the flow channel cross-sectional area of the upper side flowchannel and Sd denotes the flow channel cross-sectional area of thelower side flow channel. That is, the flow channel cross-sectional areaSd in the second gas flow channel 25 on the lowermost side of the flowchannel 25 and the downstream side is larger than the flow channelcross-sectional area Su in the upper side flow channel 25. With thisstructure, since the flow channel cross-sectional area of the mostdownstream side of the second gas flow channel 25 through which theexhaust gas flows can be made large, the stagnation of the exhaust gascan be suppressed. Further, the flow channel cross-sectional area Sd inthe flow channel 24 on the lowermost side of the first gas flow channel24 and the upstream side is larger than the flow channel cross-sectionalarea Su in the upper side flow channel 24. With this structure, theoxygen containing gas readily stagnates inside the first gas flowchannel 24, so that heat exchange can be efficiently performed betweenthe exhaust gas and the oxygen containing gas.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1G of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. The present non-limiting embodiment isdifferent from the above-described non-limiting embodiments in the shapeof the flange portion of the box 21, and other portions are denoted bythe same reference numerals as those of the above-described non-limitingembodiment and descriptions thereof are omitted. The box 21 has an innerflange portion 21 e extending inward at the opening 21 a, and the lid 22is fixed to the inner flange portion 21 e by a fixing member such as ascrew, a bolt and nut, or a rivet. When the inner flange portion 21 ehas a size which closes the third gas flow channel 26, the inlet 22 b isprovided also at the inner flange portion 21 e.

Since the outer flange portion 21 c expands and contracts due to thermalexpansion as described above, the box outer side insulating material 44and the lid outer side insulating material 45 are disposed so as tosandwich the outer flange portion 21 c from both sides thereof. In thiscase, it is difficult to effectively suppress heat dissipation from theouter flange portion 21 c. By adopting the inner flange portion 21 e asin the present non-limiting embodiment, the heat dissipation from theflange portion can be suppressed to thereby suppress the reduction inthe temperature of the fuel cell module 1G.

As a modified example of the above-described non-limiting embodiments, awater storing portion 24 d storing dew condensation water may bedisposed on the upstream side of the first gas flow channel 24. Byconnecting the introducing portion 23 not to the upstream side end ofthe first gas flow channel 24 but to a slightly downstream side of theupstream side end, the dead end-like water storing portion 24 d can bedisposed at the upstream side end. At the time of stoppage such asshut-down of the fuel cell module, there is a possibility that the gasin the housing flows backward in the first gas flow channel 24. In thiscase, the gas in the housing contains moisture, so that there is apossibility that the temperature of this gas decreases to causecondensation while the gas in the housing is flowing backward in thefirst gas flow channel 24. If the dew condensation water further flowsbackward in the introducing portion 23, this becomes a cause of thebreakdown of external apparatuses such as an air blower and sensorsdisposed on the upstream side thereof. The water storing portion 24 d islocated at the lower end in the vertical direction in the first gas flowchannel 24 and the caused dew condensation water flows into the waterstoring portion 24 d under its own weight and the dew condensation waternever flow backward from the water storing portion 24 d in the first gasflow channel 24 against gravity, so that the entry of the dewcondensation water into external apparatuses can be suppressed.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a fuel cell module 1H of stillanother non-limiting embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view showing part ofthe fuel cell module 1H of still another non-limiting embodiment so asto be excerpted. The present non-limiting embodiment is different fromthe above-described non-limiting embodiments in that the fourth gas flowchannel 32 is an exhaust gas processing chamber inside which acombustion catalyst 35 for combusting uncombusted components in theexhausted gas is disposed. In the following, the fourth gas flow channel32 will be described, and descriptions of other portions are omitted.

In the present non-limiting embodiment, the fourth gas flow channel 32is provided on the outer surface facing the outer side of the first flowchannel member 24 a, and the fourth flow channel member 32 a defines thefourth gas flow channel 32. The fourth flow channel member 32 a is asubstantially rectangular member, and at the four sides, a part erectedby the amount of the flow channel width of the fourth gas flow channel32 is disposed on the first surface (one principal surface) 32 aa side.The fourth flow channel member 32 a joins the erected four side part tothe outer surface facing the outer side of the first flow channel member24 a. The fourth flow channel member 32 a covers the opening on theouter side of the fuel cell module 1H. Thereby, the gap between thefirst flow channel member 24 a and the fourth flow channel member 32 abecomes the fourth gas flow channel 32. That is, since the first gasflow channel 24 through which the oxygen containing gas flows isprovided between the fourth gas flow channel 32 and the second gas flowchannel 25 through which comparatively high temperature exhaust gasflows, heat exchange can be efficiently performed between the oxygencontaining gas and the exhaust gas. Moreover, the opening of thedischarging portion 31 on the outer side of the fuel cell module 1H isan exhaust gas inlet 36 of the fourth gas flow channel 32 as the exhaustgas processing chamber.

Inside the fourth gas flow channel 32, a combustion catalyst forcombusting uncombusted components in the exhaust gas is disposed. As thecombustion catalyst 35, for example, a porous carrier such as y-alumina,a-alumina or cordierite which porous carrier carries a catalyst of aprecious metal such as platinum or palladium may be used. Uncombustedcomponents in the exhaust gas having flowed into the fourth gas flowchannel 32 are combusted by the combustion catalyst 35 to be purified.After combusted by the combustion catalyst 35, the exhaust gas isdischarged to the outside of the fourth gas flow channel 32 through theconnection tube 33 disposed at the downstream side end of the fourth gasflow channel 32. The opening of the connection tube 33 on the inner sideof the fuel cell module 1H is an exhaust gas outlet 37 of the fourth gasflow channel 32 serving as the exhaust gas processing chamber.

In the fuel cell module 1H of the present non-limiting embodiment, thefourth gas flow channel 32 is provided with a heater 38 disposed on theupstream side in the exhaust gas flow direction in the fourth gas flowchannel 32. The combustion catalyst 35 is disposed on the downstreamside in the exhaust gas flow direction of the heater 38 in the fourthgas flow channel 32. With this structure, since the exhaust gasincreased in temperature by the heater 38 passes through the combustioncatalyst 35, the combustion catalyst 35 can be uniformly heated.Thereby, the activity of the combustion catalyst 35 can be enhanced.Consequently, the efficiency of heat exchange between the exhaust gasand the oxygen containing gas can be further improved. Moreover, sincethe heater 38 is not directly in contact with the combustion catalyst35, overheating of the combustion catalyst is suppressed, so thatdeterioration and breakage of the combustion catalyst 35 can besuppressed. A structure devoid of the heater 38 may be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the fuel cell module 1H, a partitioning member39 is disposed between the facing first surface 24 aa of the first flowchannel member 24 a and first surface 32 aa of the fourth flow channelmember 32 a. The partitioning member 39 divides the fourth gas flowchannel 32 into a first flow channel portion 32 b including the exhaustgas inlet 36 and a second flow channel portion 32 c including theexhaust gas outlet 37. The partitioning member 39 is provided with anexhaust gas distributing portion 39 a. The first flow channel portion 32b and the second flow channel portion 32 c communicate with each otheronly through the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the fourth gas flow channel 32, when viewed froma side, the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37 arelocated on the same side with respect to a first center line (the A-Aline in FIG. 11; hereinafter, abbreviated as A) of the fourth gas flowchannel 32 extending in the height direction of the fuel cell module 1H,and the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a is located on thedifferent side from the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet37 with respect to the first center line A. Thereby, the length of theexhaust gas flow can be increased by making meander the exhaust gas flowfrom the exhaust gas inlet 36 to the exhaust gas outlet 37 by way of theexhaust gas distributing portion 39 a, so that it is possible toincrease the area in which heat exchange between the exhaust gas flowingin the fourth gas flow channel 32 and the oxygen containing gas flowingin the first gas flow channel 24 can be performed.

Here, since the vaporization of water at the vaporization portion 18 aof the reformer 18 is an endoergic reaction, there is a possibility thatthe temperature around the vaporization portion 18 a, in particular, thetemperature of the fuel cells 3 located below the vaporization portion18 a is decreased by vaporizing water at the vaporization portion 18 a.Accordingly, the temperature distribution of the cell stack 4 in thealignment direction of the fuel cells 3 becomes nonuniform, so thatthere is a possibility of decrease in the amount of power generation bythe cell stack 4 or breakage of the cell stack 4.

In the fuel cell module 1H of the present non-limiting embodiment, asshown in FIG. 11, the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a and theheater 38 are disposed in positions closer to the vaporization portion18 a of the reformer 18 than the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaustgas outlet 37 with respect to the first center line A. Here, the area ofthe second flow channel portion 32 c located in the vicinity of theexhaust gas distributing portion 39 a is high in temperature since thecombustion of the exhaust gas by the combustion catalyst 35 activelyprogresses. Therefore, by disposing the exhaust gas distributing portion39 a in the vicinity of the vaporization portion 18 a, the surroundingsof the vaporization portion 18 a can be warmed. Thereby, the temperaturedistribution of the cell stack 4 in the alignment direction of the fuelcells 3 can be made close to uniform. Further, since the surroundings ofthe vaporization portion 18 a can be warmed by the heater 38 disposed inthe vicinity of the vaporization portion 18 a, the temperaturedistribution of the cell stack 4 in the alignment direction of the fuelcells 3 can be made close to uniform. It is desirable that thecombustion catalyst 35 be disposed so that all the exhaust gas which haspassed through the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a flow throughthe combustion catalyst 35.

The structure of the partitioning member 39 is not limited to thestructure erected vertically to the outer surface facing the outer sideof the first flow channel member 24 a and the inner surface of thefourth flow channel member 32 a facing the first flow channel member 24a shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The partitioning member 39 may have astructure inclined to at least one of the outer surface facing the outerside of the first flow channel member 24 a and the inner surface facingthe inner side of the fourth flow channel member 32 a.

While in the fourth gas flow channel 32 shown in FIG. 11, the heater 38is disposed on the fourth flow channel member 32 a, the heater 38 may bedisposed on the upstream side of the combustion catalyst 35 in theexhaust gas flow direction in the fourth gas flow channel 32 anddisposed so as to be closer to the vaporization portion 18 a than theexhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37 with respect to thefirst center line A. The heater 38 may be disposed, for example, in thesecond flow channel portion 32 c or disposed over the first flow channelportion 32 b and the second flow channel portion 32 c.

Moreover, in the fuel cell module 1H, as shown in FIG. 11, the openingarea of the exhaust gas outlet 37 is larger than the opening area of theexhaust gas inlet 36. Thereby, the pressure loss in the fourth gas flowchannel 32 can be reduced to increase the exhaust gas flow amount in thefourth gas flow channel 32. Consequently, the efficiency of heatexchange between the exhaust gas flowing in the fourth gas flow channel32 and the oxygen containing gas flowing in the first gas flow channel24 can be improved. Regarding the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaustgas outlet 37, the opening area of the exhaust gas outlet 37 may belarger than the opening area of the exhaust gas inlet 36, and theopening shape of the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37is not limited to the square shown in FIG. 11. The opening shape of theexhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37 may be, for example,a circle, a rectangle or another shape. It is desirable that the openingarea of the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a is at least largerthan the opening area of the exhaust gas inlet 36.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing part of a modified example of the presentnon-limiting embodiment so as to be excerpted. The fuel cell module 1Hmay have a structure in which, as shown in FIG. 12, the exhaust gasinlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37 are located on the same side withrespect to a second center line (the B-B line in FIG. 12; hereinafter,abbreviated as B) of the fourth gas flow channel 32 orthogonal to thefirst center line A and extending in the alignment direction of the fuelcells 3, and the exhaust gas distributing portion 39 a is located on theside different from the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet37 with respect to the second center line B. Even with this structure,since the length of the exhaust gas flow can be increased by makingmeander the exhaust gas flow from the exhaust gas inlet 36 to theexhaust gas outlet 37 by way of the exhaust gas distributing portion 39a, it is possible to increase the area in which heat exchange betweenthe exhaust gas flowing in the fourth gas flow channel 32 and the oxygencontaining gas flowing in the first gas flow channel 24 can beperformed. Moreover, since the surroundings of the vaporization portion18 a can be warmed by the heater 38 disposed in the vicinity of thevaporization portion 18 a, the temperature distribution of the cellstack 4 in the alignment direction of the fuel cells 3 can be made closeto uniform. The connection tube 33 connected to the exhaust gas outlet37 in the present non-limiting embodiment may extend to the sidedifferent from the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the exhaust gas outlet 37with respect to the second center line B to be connected to the heatexchanger.

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing part of another modifiedexample of the present non-limiting embodiment so as to be excerpted.FIG. 13B is a side view showing part of the another modified example ofthe present non-limiting embodiment so as to be excerpted. FIG. 13C is aside view, from a different viewpoint from FIG. 13B, showing part of theanother modified example of the present non-limiting embodiment so as tobe excerpted. In the fuel cell module 1H of the present modifiedexample, as shown in FIG. 13A, a granular combustion catalyst 35, afirst netlike member 47 and a second netlike member 48 are providedinside the fourth gas flow channel 32. FIG. 13B is a side view of partof the fuel cell module 1H viewed from the outer side. FIG. 13C is aside view of the fourth flow channel member 32 a, the combustioncatalyst 35, the first netlike member 47 and the second netlike member48 viewed from the inner side of the fuel cell module 1H.

In the present modified example, the fourth flow channel member 32 a isa vertically long substantially rectangular member, and at the foursides, a part erected by the amount of the flow channel width of thefourth gas flow channel 32 is disposed on the first surface 32 aa side.At this erected part, an outer periphery flange portion 32 ab extendingoutward is provided. By joining the outer periphery flange portion 32 abto the outer surface facing the outer side of the first flow channelmember 24 a, the gap between the first flow channel member 24 a and thefourth flow channel member 32 a becomes the fourth gas flow channel 32.The outer periphery flange portion 32 ab and the first flow channelmember 24 a may be joined, for example, by welding.

Inside the fourth gas flow channel 32, the meshed first netlike member47 may be disposed. The fourth gas flow channel 32 is divided by thefirst netlike member 47 into the first flow channel portion 32 bincluding the exhaust gas inlet 36 and the second flow channel portion32 c including the exhaust gas outlet 37 and located above the firstflow channel portion 32 b.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the first netlike member 47 has a first portion 47a extending along the first surface 32 aa of the fourth flow channelmember 32 a and a second portion 47 b extending between the first flowchannel member 24 a and the fourth flow channel member 32 a. The firstportion 47 a is joined to the first surface 32 aa of the fourth flowchannel member 32 a, for example, by welding. The end on the first flowchannel member 24 a side of the second portion 47 b abuts on the firstflow channel member 24 a.

In the second flow channel portion 32 c, as shown in FIG. 13A, thegranular combustion catalyst 35 may be filled to the height positionabove the upper end of the exhaust gas outlet 37. The meshes of thefirst netlike member 47 may have a diameter such that the granularcombustion catalyst 35 filled in the second flow channel portion 32 cdoes not pass through the first netlike member 47 to fall toward thefirst flow channel portion 32 b. As the material forming the firstnetlike member 47, for example, a metal material such as stainless steelhaving heat resistance may be used.

On the first surface 32 aa of the fourth flow channel member 32 a, thenetlike second netlike member 48 is disposed so as to cover the exhaustgas outlet 37. Thereby, the granular combustion catalyst 35 can beinhibited from moving outward from the exhaust gas outlet 37. The secondnetlike member 48 may be welded to the inner surface of the fourth flowchannel member 32 a. Moreover, the meshes of the second netlike member48 may have a diameter such that the granular combustion catalyst 35filled in the second flow channel portion 32 c does not pass through thesecond netlike member 48. As the material forming the second netlikemember 48, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel havingheat resistance may be used.

According to the present modified example, the exhaust gas flowing intothe fourth gas flow channel 32 from the exhaust gas inlet 36 uniformlyflows in the fourth gas flow channel 32 toward the exhaust gas outlet37. Since the exhaust gas passes through the entire granular combustioncatalyst 35 filled in the second flow channel portion 32 c, the entirecombustion catalyst 35 can be efficiently used. Moreover, since thecombustion catalyst 35 is held by the first netlike member 47 andpositioned, it is unnecessary to provide a catalyst case accommodatingthe combustion catalyst 35 in the fourth gas flow channel 32. Thereby,the structure of the fourth gas flow channel 32 is simplified, so thatthe assembly performance of the fuel cell module 1H is improved.

FIG. 14 is a transparent perspective view showing an example of a fuelcell apparatus of the present non-limiting embodiment in which a fuelcell module and an auxiliary machine which operates the fuel cell moduleare housed in an exterior case. In FIG. 14, part of the structure isomitted.

In a fuel cell apparatus 53, the inside of the exterior case formed ofpillars 54 and exterior plates 55 is vertically partitioned by apartitioning plate 56, the upper side thereof is a module accommodatingchamber 57 which houses the above-described fuel cell module 1, 1A, 1B,1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G or 1H and the lower side thereof is an auxiliaryaccommodating chamber 58 which houses the auxiliary machine whichoperates the fuel cell module 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G or 1H. Theauxiliary machine housed in the auxiliary accommodating chamber 58 isomitted in the figure.

Moreover, an air flow port 59 for causing air in the auxiliaryaccommodating chamber 58 to flow toward the module accommodating chamber57 is provided on the partitioning plate 56, and an exhaust port 60 fordischarging the air in the module accommodating chamber 57 is providedon part of the exterior plates 55 constituting the module accommodatingchamber 57.

While the present disclosure has been described above in detail, thepresent disclosure is not limited to the above-described non-limitingembodiments and various modifications, improvements and the like arepossible without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H: Fuel cell module    -   2: Housing    -   3: Fuel cell    -   4: Cell stack    -   21: Box    -   22: Lid    -   22 a: Lid body    -   24: First gas flow channel    -   25: Second gas flow channel    -   26: Third gas flow channel    -   32: Fourth gas flow channel    -   53: Fuel cell apparatus    -   54: Pillar    -   55: Exterior plate    -   56: Partitioning plate    -   57: Module accommodating chamber    -   58: Auxiliary accommodating chamber    -   59: Air flow port    -   60: Exhaust port

1. A fuel cell module, comprising: a housing comprising a box, whereinone side of the box is open, and a lid for closing the one side of thebox; and a cell stack, which is housed in an accommodation chamberdisposed inside the housing, and in which a plurality of fuel cells,which generate power by use of fuel gas and oxygen containing gas, aredisposed and electrically connected together, wherein the lid comprisesa first gas flow channel through which flows either one of the oxygencontaining gas and exhaust gas which is discharged from theaccommodation chamber.
 2. The fuel cell module according to claim 1,wherein the lid further comprises a second gas flow channel disposedadjacent to the first gas flow channel and through which flows the otherof the oxygen containing gas and the exhaust gas.
 3. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 2, wherein the second gas flow channel islocated closer to the cell stack than the first gas flow channel, theoxygen containing gas flows in the first gas flow channel, and theexhaust gas flows in the second gas flow channel.
 4. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 2, wherein the first gas flow channel and thesecond gas flow channel are located on a box side of the lid.
 5. Thefuel cell module according to claim 4, wherein the lid further comprisesan introducing portion which introduces the oxygen containing gas fromoutside and connects with the first gas flow channel.
 6. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 2, wherein the lid further comprises a flowchannel partitioning portion which partitions the first gas flow channeland the second gas flow channel, and the flow channel partitioningportion has a convex portion convex toward an inside of the first gasflow channel or an inside of the second gas flow channel.
 7. The fuelcell module according to claim 2, wherein each of the first gas flowchannel and the second gas flow channel is a meandering flow channelwhich meanders in a right-left direction on a surface facing the boxside of the lid, and the first gas flow channel and the second gas flowchannel are configured such that a flow channel cross-sectional area ona lower side of the meandering flow channel is larger than a flowchannel cross-sectional area on an upper side of the meandering flowchannel.
 8. The fuel cell module according to claim 2, furthercomprising an oxygen containing gas introducing plate, which is locatedcloser to a bottom surface of the box than the cell stack, wherein theoxygen containing gas introducing plate passes the oxygen containing gasalong the bottom surface of the box and supplies the oxygen containinggas to the cell stack through an oxygen containing gas introducing port.9. The fuel cell module according to claim 8, further comprising a thirdgas flow channel which connects the first gas flow channel and theoxygen gas containing gas introducing plate, wherein the oxygencontaining gas which has passed through the first gas flow channelpasses through the third gas flow channel to flow into the oxygencontaining gas introducing plate.
 10. The fuel cell module according toclaim 9, wherein the third gas flow channel is provided on one end sidein a length direction of the fuel cell, the third gas flow channelconnects one end on a downstream side of the first gas flow channel andone end on an upstream side of the oxygen containing gas introducingplate so as to communicate with each other, and the introducing portionand the oxygen containing gas introducing port are provided on the otherend side in the length direction of the fuel cell.
 11. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first gas flow channeland the third gas flow channel are connected with each other through aplurality of inlets disposed in parallel, and the third gas flow channelis configured such that a flow channel cross-sectional area on anupstream side thereof connected to the first gas flow channel is largerthan a flow channel cross-sectional area on a downstream side thereof.12. The fuel cell module according to claim 9, wherein the third gasflow channel is defined by a plurality of third gas flow channel wallsopposed to each other, and the third flow channel walls compriseabutment portions which are convex toward an inside of the third gasflow channel to abut on each other.
 13. The fuel cell module accordingto claim 9, wherein the third gas flow channel comprises a main flowchannel portion which provides connection from the first gas flowchannel to the oxygen containing gas introducing plate; and an extendedportion extending toward the bottom surface of the box beyond a positionwhere the oxygen containing gas introducing plate and the main flowchannel portion are connected.
 14. The fuel cell module according toclaim 8, wherein the first gas flow channel comprises a divertingportion for diverting the oxygen containing gas to the cell stack fromthe oxygen containing gas introducing plate.
 15. The fuel cell moduleaccording to claim 1, wherein the box comprises an outer flange portionextending outward at the opening, and the fuel cell module furthercomprises an outer side insulating material which covers an outersurface of the box along the outer flange portion.
 16. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 3, further comprising a storing portion whichstores condensation water, disposed on an upstream side of the first gasflow channel.
 17. The fuel cell module according to claim 3, wherein thelid further comprises a fourth gas flow channel disposed adjacent to thefirst gas flow channel and provided on an outer side of the first gasflow channel, and the fourth gas flow channel connects with the secondgas flow channel and the exhaust gas which has passed through the secondgas flow channel flows in the fourth gas flow channel.
 18. The fuel cellmodule according to claim 17, wherein a combustion catalyst forprocessing the exhaust gas is disposed inside the fourth gas flowchannel.
 19. The fuel cell module according to claim 18, wherein thecombustion catalyst is disposed on a downstream side in a flow directionof the exhaust gas in the fourth gas flow channel.
 20. A fuel cellapparatus, comprising: the fuel cell module according to claim 1; anauxiliary machine which operates the fuel cell module; and an externalcase which houses the fuel cell module and the auxiliary machine.